Las Vegas Weekly

September 21, 2010 · 10:29 AM

Dancing With the Stars photos: Grey, Massey, Brandy, Fox lead the pack

By Don Chareunsy

Season 11 of ABC's Dancing With the Stars on Sept. 20, 2010.

Photo: Adam Larkey/ABC TV

By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor

Deemed “the wildest cast ever,” Season 11 of ABC’s top-rated Dancing With the Stars kicked off last night with a 2-hour premiere that included, according to host Tom Bergeron, a chip off the political block, a dirty dancer, America’s favorite TV mom and The Hoff (in uncomfortably hot black leather).

Audrina Patridge of MTV’s now-defunct The Hills and Tony Dovolani started things off with a cha cha to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.” Patridge’s positive attitude is a breath of fresh air from Season 10’s whiners, and the judges give them 19 out of 30. Patridge has an amazing body, and she must be a cakewalk compared to Dovolani’s nightmare partner last season: Kate Gosselin.

Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya perform a Viennese waltz to Bon Jovi’s “This Ain’t a Love Song,” and they receive 19/30. Kurt is handsome with a winning smile, his wife is stunning, and they have seven children. I’m rooting for Anna to win her first mirrored disco ball trophy after (unfairly) finishing runner-up last season with Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek. They have chemistry, but they’re a long shot, although judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli agree that he has potential.

Disney Channel star Kyle Massey of Cory in the House and Lacey Schwimmer perform a cha cha to 3OH!3’s “My First Kiss.” Massey, this season’s youngest contestant alongside Bristol Palin, has oodles of personality and performance down, a perfect complement to Schwimmer’s sassiness, and they open with a strong 23/30. Inaba calls him her first crush of Season 11 and “dynamite,” and, shockingly, lead judge Len Goodman says, “I liked it.” Plus, Massey is plus size, so I heart him.

Retired NBA star Rick Fox, a three-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Cheryl Burke dance a Viennese waltz to Aerosmith’s “Crazy.” Fox is a silver fox, 6-foot-7 and has a smile for days, and the judges give them 22/30. Fox’s girlfriend, actress Eliza Dushku, is the audience cheering for her tall drink of man, and Goodman says Fox did “a great job.” Tonioli says that Warner and Fox are equally matched, and it’s a battle between the champion quarterback and basketball star.

Comedienne Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel hit the floor with a Viennese waltz to Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” The audience loved the comedic interpretation, but none of the judges did, giving them a bottom-dwelling 15/30. Cho stumbled during the show’s entrance down the stairs, but the comedienne, who performed at The Pearl in the Palms last Friday, recovered nicely with her humor, honesty and her infamous impression of her Korean mother, who was in the audience with Dad.

R&B singer Brandy and Le Reve choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy dance a Viennese waltz to Pixie Lott’s “Cry Me Out.” It’s a solid, if a little safe, performance, and the judges give them 23/30, with Goodman calling Brandy “fabulous.”

Former Alaska first daughter Bristol Palin, a self-described “regular girl” and teen pregnancy prevention public advocate, and Mark Ballas perform a cha cha to Tom Jones’ “Mama Told Me (Not to Come).” Despite rumors to the contrary, politician mother Sarah Palin was not in the audience. The judges give them 18/30. Palin’s shyness on the dance floor translates as stiffness and a lack of charisma.

TV icon Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas perform a cha cha to Shirley Bassey’s “Kiss Me Honey Honey (Kiss Me).” Henderson, at 76, is this season’s most seasoned contestant (and is paired with the most seasoned pro dancer), and the judges award them 18/30. Let’s hope Henderson doesn’t feel compelled to flash the audience her bra and mid-section again, and I’m still trying to ascertain if Corky Ballas’ is Mark’s older brother or father.

Singer Michael Bolton and Las Vegas native Chelsie Hightower dance a Viennese waltz to Daughtry’s “Life After You.” Bolton says he “has shoes older than Chelsie,” and they receive 16/30 from the judges. The couple were in Las Vegas over the weekend, with Bolton in concert at Sunset Station, and they watched Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian. Daughtry is a guest act on tonight’s results show.

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino of MTV’s Jersey Shore and Karina Smirnoff perform a cha cha to Taio Cruz’s “Break Your Heart.” “He has the abs, but does he have the moves?” Bergeron asks. They’ve had less than one week of rehearsals (five days, reportedly) due to Jersey Shore filming, and the judges aren’t sympathetic, awarding them 15/30, fist pumps and all. Smirnoff is hot on the dance floor, The Situation not (on the dance floor), but he has potential.

Actress Jennifer Grey and defending professional champion Derek Hough dance a Viennese waltz to Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine,” which was featured in Dirty Dancing, Grey’s eponymous coming-of-age film. The emotional performance, reminiscent of the hit 1987 film and which brought Grey to tears during rehearsal and Inaba during judging, receives the night’s highest score: 24/30.

TV icon David Hasselhoff and Kym Johnson perform last to Tom Jones’ “Sex Bomb.” Hasselhoff says his biggest challenge will be for his old body to keep up with his heart, and the judges give them 15/30, sharing the bottom with The Situation and Smirnoff and Cho and Van Amstel. Australian blonde bombshell Johnson is Season 9’s pro champion with Flamingo headliner Donny Osmond.

So here’s how the couples stand after last night’s premiere: At the top of the leaderboard, it’s Grey and Hough with 24 out of 30, followed closely by Brandy and Chmerkovskiy, 23/30, tied with Massey and Schwimmer, 23/30, and then Fox and Burke, 22/30. Pre-premiere, Grey and Fox were tapped as the front-runners.

Fairly safe in the middle are Warner and Trebunskaya, 19/30; Patridge and Dovolani, 19/30; Palin and Mark Ballas, 18/30; and Henderson and Corky Ballas, 18/30. Fighting for votes and their lives tonight are Bolton and Hightower, 16/30; Hasselhoff and Johnson, 15/30; Cho and Van Amstel, 15/30; and The Situation and Smirnoff, 15/30.

Prediction: It’s a toss-up among Bolton, The Situation, Hasselhoff and Cho, and Bolton is likely going to have to bolt after the night’s weakest and most forgettable performance.

Check back right here at Vegas DeLuxe tomorrow for Mr. Vegas DeLuxe Robin Leach’s recap of the results show and a new photo gallery.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

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